Ash Wednesday

Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Joel 2:13

Most of us know that on October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg. But have we ever read them? Probably not! It's helpful to at least know the first one for it sets the tone for all the rest and is really a brief summary of the evangelical faith of Luther and the other reformers.

1. When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said "Repent", He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.

When we think of repentance we think primarily of sorrow over sins--but this is only half of what the Bible teaches about repentance. The other half is faith in Jesus. And so the life a Christian is an ongoing dynamic of sorrow over sins and sincere trust in Jesus as our Savior from sin. That of course is not just the teaching of the reformers or even of the New Testament--but is the teaching of all of Holy Scripture.

The prophet Joel called upon the people of his day (and really God's people in every place and time!) to "Return to the Lord your God…"! They needed to return because they had wandered away, following the direction of the world, their flesh, and the devil rather than the gentle guidance of the Good Shepherd. So it is for all of us. As the old hymn says: "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love".

But even though they had wandered away, they could still return in faith to the Lord, knowing that he was (and is!) a God who is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love."

These twin themes of contrition and faith that comprise biblical repentance are the very heart of the Lenten season. With heartfelt sorrow we recognize that our sinfulness is not just a matter of this sin or that-- but cuts to heart of our human existence and clings to us as closely as our own flesh. But even greater and more powerful is our Savior God who shows his grace and mercy and steadfast love for us in the sufferings and death of his own Son Jesus upon the cross of Calvary.

Let us pray:
Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.